Posts Tagged ‘Farmer’s Market’

Several weeks ago I attended a riveting lecture by several scientists from the Monell Institute titled I SMELL YOU SMELL as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival. The Monell Institute is the world’s only independent non profit scientific institute dedicated to basic research on taste and smell. As a five planets in Taurus woman, smell ( and taste) are crucial to me. When I was little girl, I wished I could be the fairy of good smells. I’d wave my magic wand and make everything seem wonderful like fresh flowers. The lecture took place in a darken cabaret room at the Society Hill Playhouse. Three scientists talked about the power of smell and how it relates to relationships, attraction and illness. I ‘ve always been fascinated by the subject of pheromones. I learned that everyone’s scent is different. No two people smell alike. Our personal scent is like a fingerprint. It doesn’t change due to diet or hygiene. The scientists debunked the myth that a certain perfume or oil with attract a man ( or woman) to you. Maybe that’s true but I have been in some situations where the lack of hygiene has definitely a repellant. Smelling good has always been important to me. My favorite soap is Santa Maria Novella’s Melograno soap. Melograno is Italian for pomegranate. This soap is triple milled and is so gentle. You can use it on your face too and it last much longer than regular soap. Made by Florentine Monks for 600 hundred years, Santa Maria Novella products are a personal favorite. Heavenly!

From smells to tastes. The last few months I ‘ve become obsessed with the Korean dish- Bibimbap dolsot ( also spelled bibimbop). Bibimbap dolsot is basically a hot rice dish with meat and veggies. My obsession with Bibimbap began when I first had it at Giwa in Center City ( Philly). I had an OBE ( out of body experience) after eating it for the first time. I’m not joking ! I literarily got high and was floating out of my body for several hours after I finished eating. I tried the dish at several other restaurants in Philly after Giwa. There are many more restaurants I need to try bibimbap from , but so far Giwa is the best. The dish is served in a cast iron deep bowl which arrives all steamy and popping. The popping sound is from the bottom layer of rice cooking and getting brown and crunchy. A sauce made with red pepper paste ( called gochujang) is mixed in the dish as you eat it. As most of my readers know, when I get a idea into my head, especially when it comes to making a certain dish, I must make it and make it right. For several weeks I just thought about bibimbap. I looked online and at H-Mart for the same cast iron bowls I was served Bibimbap in at the various restautants. H-Mart does sell these outrageously heavy stone bowl for around $30 a piece to make bibimbap. But I ‘m a cast iron woman. I finally found a food blog that mentioned cooking bibimbap in a cast iron skillet. Hallelujah! I combined several bibimbap recipes and then altered them further. I have made this dish 3 times so far. Once with rib eye steak ( traditional). One with Chicken and once with pork. The first attempt with rib eye steak remains my most successful attempt. I was able to get the rice on the bottom crunchy. One of the ways in which my bibimbap differs vastly from the bibimbaps I have eaten in the restaurants & the recipes I found on line is my compulsion to season each component separately. Sadly, this need to have more flavor resulted in severe rice failure on my second and third attempts at making the dish ( the goal being a crispy crunchy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan). I put butter and Swanson flavor packets ( chicken and vegetable) in the rice water right before cooking the rice. The rice was bursting with flavor but I realized the butter made the cooked grains too moist to cook effectively . Egg was served on top of the Bibimbap when I ate it Tampopo ( raw which cooked as the veggies,rice and meat steamed) and Koreana ( cooked over easy) but not at Giwa. I decided to top my bibimbap with organic duck eggs I bought at the farmer’s market. By using duck eggs instead of regular eggs, a deeper depth of flavor was achieved. I also altered the sauce made with the gochujang by adding fresh grated ginger, more sesame oil and more sugar than the internet recipes listed. And while I have written previously about my attempts to become vegetarian, I have fallen off the wagon. I decided last year that my body functions better on a little meat. I only buy organic meat. Maybe someday I will become a vegetarian but not now.

In keeping with this theme of this blog of ALL THINGS TAURUS, I highly recommend F for Fake (written, directed and starring Orson Welles). Mr. Welles was a quintessential Taurus ( May 6th). The real reason for viewing this “documentary” is not to learn about the famous art forger Elmyr de Hory or see footage of Clifford Irving the subject of the film The Hoax. The REAL reason to watch F for Fake is the fashions that Orson Welles’s then girlfriend Oja Kodar models as she is portraying the fictitious muse of Picasso. The two minute “fashion show” features some very incredible clothes. A must rent for any fashionista.

The other Taurus I want to mention in this blog is filmmaker/writer/actor Lena Dunham ( May 13th). I really enjoyed Ms.Dunham’s first film Tiny Furniture ( 2010) which was an instant hit at the Sundance Film Festival when it premiered. Her current HBO series GIRLS which she wrote,directed and stars in, features some of the same cast fromTiny Furniture . I find Ms. Dunham fascinating to watch. I thought about why I like her and find her so appealing. The answer was of course, right in front of me. It is the Taurus factor. She is real and unpretentious. She looks like a normal person, not a Hollywood-glammed up movie star. She is a little bit chubby and isn’t afraid to show her body on camera in various stages of undress. She explores relationships and sexuality ( due to the intense simulated sex scene the series airs on Sundays nights at 10:30 p.m. EST). Ms. Dunham’s take on relationships and men is honest,refreshing and of course witty. I heard her interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR ‘s Fresh Air yesterday ( May 7th). Although Ms. Dunham stated clearly that the character of Hannah isn’t her, Hannah does seem to possess many Taurean tendencies ( like eating cupcakes in the bathtub) and being kind of slow to “get it” at times. Now I myself have never eaten cupcakes while taking a bath, but both activities top my pleasure list.

There are two films both available on dvd which deal with the subject of redemption and forgiveness. I love both these films. The first of these films is Flipped directed by Rob Reiner based on the popular book Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen and the British independent film In a Day. Both these films deal with the relationship between a boy and a girl ( FLIPPED) and a man and a woman ( IN A DAY). Rob Reiner said of FLIPPED it is the best film he’s directed. I agree with him. The film although it is very Hollywood, is the kind of film that should be shown in school to junior high students. The message of not assuming or making judgements based on appearances is important and crucial. How do these two films relate to Taurus? Well Taurus is a stubborn sign and I have been guilty of assuming and making judgements. My assumptions about Korean food kept me from a world of sensual pleasure for decades. I hope EVERYONE will see FLIPPED. It is a great film for adults too.

Recently, I saw a powerful documentary which lingered in my head for days. Elephant in the Living Room directed by Michael Webber, follows Officer Tim Harrison as he struggles to deal with the exotic animal problem in Ohio. More and more people in the United States are opting to have wild and exotic animals as pets. This documentary examines this horrifying, sad , shocking and idiotic ( yes I said it) trend. I learned a permit is not required to own an exotic/wild animal in Ohio but you need of course to have a license for your dog. This is one of those documentaries that should be,in my opinion, required viewing to children in public schools every year they are in school( I would say starting with 4th grade children). In my opinion, it is a disgrace that hundreds of thousands of domestic animals are euthanized in shelters every year. Now there is this new problem of wild and exotic “pets”. I feel for Tim Harrison and his heroic efforts to save and place the abandoned and abused exotic wild life that he encounters on his job. I hope this documentary can change the state laws regarding wild/exotic pet ownership.

I’ve previously mentioned I how much I love CBS SUNDAY MORNING ( airs Sundays at 9 a.m. EST). It is one of the few art & culture shows on a major Network Channel. I need to mention another fabulous arts & culture show called EUROMAXX ( Highlights). This 22 minute show airs on Comcast here in Philly on MINDTV on Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. MINDTV is the local independent Philly cable station. Euromaxx is a German produced show which features what’s hot and happening in Europe. Sadly, I’m either on my way to the gym or farmer’s market or thriftin ( yard sales, flea markets etc.) on Saturday mornings so I often miss this wonderful show. It would be great if MIND TV would air this show on Sunday mornings before CBS Sunday morning.

And lastly- Thank you Town & country Magazine for printing my Letter to the Editor (May 2012) regarding the Ali MacGraw cover ( February 2012). Unfortunately, I don’t buy the editor’s response as to why they chose to put a photograph of Ms.MacGraw from 1969 on their cover while inside they have recent photographs of her looking fantastic at 72. I can smell B.S. a mile away. This may be a revelation to some people who think I’m naive. The truth is most of the time I keep my mouth shut because I have never been able to confront a liar and get the truth at the time I was confronting them ( I’m not implying the editors of T & C are liars). These days I bide my time and know that in time, the truth is ALWAYS revealed in almost every situation. That is the epitome of a Taurus being patient!

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Augusten Burroughs
Augusten is one, if the funniest writers I have ever read. I have read one of his books ( POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS), and I can’t wait to read everything else he has written. As I am in a time of grieving and mourning, Augusten has arrived to bring me happi

Edward Gorey House and Museum
The best reason for visiting Cape Cod. This Museum has the BEST gift shop I have ever laid my eyes on. This is a must-see for any artist or person who loves unusual places. This was the best part of my recent trip to Cape Cod